Broken and Scarred
by Terez
Summary: Rosalie and Jasper bond over their dark pasts.


Big thank you as always to Obsessedtwibrarian (OTB) for looking this over and fix all of my mistakes.

Author's Note: This one-shot is set after Maria's visit to the family, sometime in the 1950s.

Broken and Scarred

"She's a total bitch," Rosalie said, as she stepped out onto the porch, her mood souring further when Jasper jumped slightly in surprise. He was always so aware of his surroundings that none of them had ever been able to sneak up on him. It irritated her that Maria had had such an affect on him.

She had always felt an odd connection with Jasper, something she had never been able to explain. They didn't know the complete details of his past, but they didn't have to, as his hellish life was written across his skin for the world to see.

Snarls erupted from the throats of their kind, without any conscious thought, as they backed away instinctively; even their family had been wary of him. She had especially distrusted him; his scars screamed of a violent man capable of doing horrible things. However, in the time he had stayed with them, she had come to learn he was not as dangerous as his physical appearance led one to believe.

Sitting down next to him, she was mindful to keep some distance between them, knowing that he hated to be crowded. The silence as they sat was not uncomfortable, but she still felt compelled to speak.

"My fiancé raped me." She spoke the words without really hearing them; immediately feeling lighter. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she could see the deep confusion in his face.

"What?" he questioned, clearly trying to keep up with her train of thought.

"Carlisle found me in an alley after it happened. I would have happily died that night," she continued, ignoring the fact that that he was staring at her as if she were crazy. "Royce took everything from me."

It was then she understood why she was confessing; the look on his face said it all. When the confusion washed away, it wasn't a look of pity, anger or disgust, but one of deep understanding. He didn't reach out to offer his comfort, instead he seemed to unconsciously shift away from her, giving her more space.

"I'm sorry." He gave his words as his only comfort. Yet she was more comforted when _he_ said them, than when anyone else in the family did. It always seemed as if they were choking back the rest of their sentence. 'I'm sorry- that sucks for you...or...'I'm sorry-you poor, poor girl.' The way _he_ said it seemed to put them in the same category.

"I thought we were in love." He snorted bitterly as he stared out into the backyard, now it was her turn to throw him a bemused look.

"One would think the empath would know better," she responded, unable to help a laugh. She was amazed at how easy this conversation was.

He chuckled darkly as he gave her a broken grin. "One would think."

"I was in love with the _idea_ of love," she said with a smug smirk, trying to one-up him. "And Royce was the _best_ in town." She could not help the last phrase rolling sardonically off her tongue. The idea of Royce being the 'best' was just sickening.

"I practically worshiped the ground _she_ walked on," he supplied, throwing his own smirk in response as he accepted her challenge; agreeing to this twisted game that had somehow started between them.

She couldn't help rolling her eyes as she shook her head "You're not going to preach to me are you?" she asked, trying to sound bored, when in actuality, she was far from it. Talking with Jasper was easy. He didn't pry or ask questions. Instead, when she gave up information, he offered his own, letting her see that he understood.

He laughed hollowly in response, his whole body shaking as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. "I'm pretty sure God wants nothing to do with a man who sells his soul to the devil."

She didn't miss the momentary hurt that flashed though his eyes. It was clear that it wasn't that he didn't believe in God or that God had given up on them, he just thought God wanted nothing to do with _him_.

She had never been much of a religious person. Anything dealing with God and faith was left to Carlisle, but still she felt the need to make it better.

"I'm sure God doesn't want much to do with any of us." It was not in her to offer reassurances directly, and with Jasper she felt it was not necessary or even something he wanted. He didn't want his hand held or to be reassured like a small child that he was good person.

The twitch in the corner of his mouth told her he had read between the lines and understood what she meant.

"I killed him," she stated proudly. "Him and all his friends who just stood by, watching and laughing."

"I thought about killing her," he replied weakly, sounding slightly disappointed that that was all he had to offer. "Only because I was so sure she was going to kill me. I might have too, if Peter hadn't stepped in."

"God, we're pathetic," she said, laughing and shaking her head in disbelief. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on top.

"Not pathetic," Jasper argued. "Just hopeful in what they had to offer."

"Pathetic," she snorted, turning her attention back to the field. "We gave them everything and at the end of the day we were nothing to them."

"Maybe, but now they're nothing to us and we're worth something to others."

"You think it will get easier?" She hated asking the question only because she feared what the answer might be. She was clinging so desperately to the final moments of her human life that everything else was getting harder to recall.

"I think so ," Jasper answered. She didn't have to look up to know he was smiling. She didn't have to be a mind reader to know he was thinking about Alice. She was his saving grace.

"You just have to learn to let go," he offered as he stood, holding his hand out to help her up. "And know that you're not alone."

She couldn't help but smile as she took his hand. She was instantly flooded with the hope he felt-hope that they could get over their pasts _together._

A/N: My first time writing Rosalie, so I hope I did her justice. Feel free to review!


End file.
